Did you know that positive thinking can increase your levels of serotonin? Yep – it is true. The more positive you are, the higher your serotonin, which is that happy, feel-good hormone. “When you have positive thoughts, and you are feeling happy, cortisol decreases & your brain produces serotonin, which creates a feeling of well-being”. As a result of the increase in serotonin levels (or normalization), you’ll begin to feel happier, calmer, less anxious, more focused, & more emotionally stable. Sounds pretty easy, right? Well yeah – until it isn’t. Shit happens in life, you know? And when that shit happens, the last thing we think is, “oop! Better be positive so I can release serotonin…” and blah, blah, blah. Yeah, I get it – “be positive” seems like such a mundane, half-assed response when you tell someone that it-literally-feels-like-your-whole-world-is-crashing-at your-feet-because “all the bad stuff happens to me”. Sound familiar? I know because I have been there. It is real easy to be negative & get stuck in the rut of nothing good ever comes my way.
Picture this: you are in a rush to get to work. You are already running late. Your dog threw up all over your brand new cashmere sweater, so not only did you have to shower again & change clothes, but you also had to clean up the dog’s puke. Then you had to hand-wash your sweater so it doesn’t stain. And then you had to make sure the dog was okay. Then after you finally left the house, you got to the end of the road & realized you left your lunch at home so you had to turn around & get it. Finally, you get on the highway & that asshole driving the Prius cuts you off. THE NERVE! What is your first reaction? At the very least, you probably honk your horn. You might cuss him or her out. You might flip the bird. And something in your brain (if not out-loud) says something to the effect of “…of all the *expletive* days for all this *expletive* to *expletive* happen, IT HAD TO FUCKING BE TODAY!” After that, you may spend the rest of the drive to work replaying the shit storm of the day that just began. You think to yourself that the rest of the day is doomed because it started like that so it can’t possibly get any better…or can it??
Nothing in the story above is the person’s (mine or your) fault, right? We couldn’t control the dog puking everywhere which caused us to run late. We couldn’t control the pretentious asshole in the Prius who cut us off. Maybe he (or she) had a real life emergency & they aren’t really an asshole. The only thing of that whole situation the individual (that’s you & me) can control are our own reactions, & emotions. Let that sink in. The only thing we can control are our own reactions & emotions.
Yeah, I know – sometimes getting mad & even is so satisfying…but what good does it really do? If we can find a way to be more positive, to look for the good in things, it will benefit us in the long run. Life is so much more pleasant for you & those around you if you don’t wallow in self-pity & focus on the negative. I am a firm believer that if you look for the positive in things, positive things happen. And on the flip: if you look for negative things, negative things happen. The Universe is a powerful force. Believe me, I have seen it firsthand. About seven months ago I made up my mind that I was going to reframe my thinking; I was going to make a conscious effort to be more positive. At the beginning, it felt pretty cringy. I felt fake, insincere even. I wasn’t being fake, but having a positive mindset wasn’t a “norm” for me, but I wanted to normalize it for myself. It took a lot of work like self-realization & self-regulation. But guess what? It worked! I mean – don’t get it twisted. I still have fleeting negative thoughts. I am not perfect, nor do I pretend to be. Here is the difference, though: when I recognize negative thoughts trying to take over my brain, I quickly work to turn them into positive thoughts. If they aren’t bringing me joy & happiness or if I can’t change anything about it, I know it doesn’t deserve space in my brain, so I work to let it go. Sometimes that means meditating or journaling. Other times I need to write a cathartic Facebook post, or listen to one of my favorite podcasts. Or go for a run. Or workout. Maybe even take a nap if I can. It isn’t like an overnight process either. Recently I had to process one thing for about 5 weeks before I made a decision about it & let it go.
They say it takes 21 days to change a habit. That is a mere three weeks. In three weeks, you can literally change your whole entire mindset. If you feel like you spend a lot of time in a cloud of negativity, consider being more positive, even if it is just how you react to being cut off on the freeway. You really have nothing to lose. TBH: the three weeks is going to go by whether or not you try to change a habit, so why not make the best of the time? This really goes for any kind of habit you want to change or formulate or adjust. Three weeks is truly no time at all. I mean Christmas was three weeks ago & look how quickly that went by. So why not, right?
It isn’t easy. It will take work & active participation. When something that can be perceived as bad happens to us, it is so easy to let it ruin our day. But if we allow something to ruin our day – who does it hurt? Certainly not ol’ boy in the Prius.
It. Hurts. Us. and only us.
Vagabond Texan 
We all have had thoughts we would rather not have such as anxiety or worry. Often times, the more you try to free your mind from these thoughts, the more persistent they become. I have found the best way to free my mind of unwelcome or unwanted thoughts is to combat it with other thoughts or to remove or resolve the the thoughts I’m currently having. How? Forgiveness. A big one, I know but necessary to move on from the past and release myself from negative emotions. I meditate on God’s Word. Another big one, for me a least, is stop feeling guilty or shame. I’m also trying to smile more, even when I don’t feel like it.
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